The library at Ushaw College may have discovered a previously unknown score by the early 18th century Italian composer Giovanni Battista Pergolesi. A tweet from the library last Friday proclaimed the discovery.
Discovery of a (possibly) unknown Pergolesi score in Ushaw Library. Anyone able to advise on this? #pergolesi #opera pic.twitter.com/Sk23B2OOfz
— Ushaw Library (@UshawLibrary) April 17, 2015
A blurred picture (above) of the front page says “Mass for four voices a capella” and Pergolesi’s name. No further information is available yet, but Dr Jonathan Bush, archive cataloguer at Ushaw College, told the Catholic Herald that the college is currently “seeking advice… in terms of the authenticity of the document”. Ushaw College, four miles west of Durham, was a leading Catholic seminary until falling vocations forced its closure in 2011. Alumni include five Archbishops of Westminster and numerous bishops. Lay alumni include the poet Francis Thompson and Labour MP Paul Goggins.
